Siege of Volterra (1494)

The Siege of Volterra (1494) occurred during the Italian War of 1494-98, during which a French army led by King Charles VIII conquered and plundered the independent city-state of Volterra. The French used heavy cannon to bombard the city before assaulting the beleaguered defenders, overwhelming them.

King Charles invaded Tuscany in 1494 during his descent down the Italian peninsula towards Naples, and he levelled the city of Florence for its brazen opposition to his army. In order to secure his supply lines and establish a new base in central Italy, King Charles decided to lay siege to the city-state of Volterra, located to the west of Florence. King Charles garrisoned Florence with a few of his weary soldiers and left the city with all of the battle-ready men of his army left after the Razing of Florence, bringing with him a siege train of artillery and organ guns. These artillery units bombarded the gates and the walls, breaching both the gate and a section of the wooden defenses. The artillery proceeded to fire on the Volterran defenders as well, with King Charles intending to inflict as many losses on the Volterrans from a distance as he could, before sending in his men-at-arms. The French advanced into the city after the artillery exhausted all of its ammunition, overwhelming the battered defenders. Podesta Filippus of Volterra was slain during his defense of the piazza, and most of the defenders were killed in battle. The French took Volterra with 160 losses, and King Charles decided to plunder Volterra to finance his army. 391 Volterrans were massacred and 1,248 florins looted from the city, Charles' next conquest on his way to Naples.